TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – ULM wrapped up the 2017 football season with a 42-10 loss to Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium Saturday, Dec. 2.

The Warhawks (4-8) picked off Florida State quarterback James Blackman twice (Juwan Offray and Cortez Sisco Jr.) and limited the Seminoles to 14 points in the first half.

"I thought we really hung in there," ULM head coach Matt Viator said. "They just kept running it. They were foot to foot and just kept running guys in there and kind of wore us down."  

Offensively, ULM's Caleb Evans completed 28-of-47 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown while Marcus Green caught eight balls for 106 yards.

"We were able to move the ball on them, but we didn't finish as often as we'd like," Evans said.

ULM struggled to get its running game going and managed just 38 yards on 22 attempts. The Warhawks punted six times.

"They did good on the run game," Evans said. "They have long defensive ends and tackles and they really stepped up."

With Florida State's Jimbo Fisher resigning on Friday to become head coach at Texas A&M, defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins handled those duties against ULM.

The Seminoles (6-6) led 7-0 after one quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Jacques Patrick. Florida State extended that lead to 14-0 by halftime on a 14-yard TD pass from Blackman to D.J. Matthews.

"I thought we had some shots and chances in the first half," Viator said. "We had the ball down in their territory three times and I chose not to kick the field goal once. We got down to the 40 one time and had a big play and got called back with a penalty. We had two big plays called back for penalties. Maybe if we get one of those in, it could have become really interesting."

Cam Akers added on a 4-yard touchdown run as Florida State opened the second half with a six-play, 75-yard scoring drive to go up 21-0.

On the ensuing kickoff, Green gave the Warhawks a boost with a 42-yard return to the ULM 47. From there, the Warhawks moved 42 yards in nine plays and parlayed Green's return into a 28-yard field goal by Craig Ford, getting within 21-3.

On the next series, Sisco Jr. intercepted Blackman and returned it to the Florida State 16. A ULM personal foul pushed the Warhawks back to the 31 but still positioned for another scoring opportunity.

Evans made FSU pay six plays later as he fired a 6-yard touchdown pass to R.J. Turner, the receiver's sixth of the year. With 4:51 left in the third period, ULM trailed 21-10.

The Seminoles responded quickly with a big kickoff return and a three-play, 51-yard drive, concluding with Akers going in from 24 yards. Florida State led 28-10 with 3:31 showing in the third.

"Down 21-0, we fight back to 21-10," Viator said. "We had another shot, but we gave up a kickoff return and then the touchdown."

Patrick's second 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter increased Florida State's lead to 35-10 with 12:50 remaining. That lead grew to 42-10 on Ryan Green's 1-yard scoring run with 6:14 left in the game. 

Florida State rushed for 305 yards and five touchdowns on 45 attempts. Patrick led with 155 yards and two touchdowns and Akers had 117 yards and two scores.

"Give them credit," Viator said. "They got foot to foot and just tried to run over us. Eventually, they just wore us down. Good game plan on their part."

Postgame chatter: "I thought we fought. I thought our kids played hard, especially for a last game. We had our hopes dashed last week against Arkansas State of making a bowl game. I think Florida State played inspired for a new coach. You could tell the emotion their players had on the sidelines. I thought they played with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder." – ULM head coach Matt Viator.

Up next: ULM transitions to the offseason program and putting the finishing touches on the next recruiting class.

Tail feathers: Originally set for Sept. 9, the game was rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma impacting games throughout the state of Florida that weekend. … ULM game captains were FS Roland Jenkins, OG Frank Sutton, DE Caleb Tucker and WR Brian Williams. … ULM wore white jerseys, maroon pants and the Super Hawk helmet decal. … ULM fell 34-0 in 2011 in the first meeting between the programs. … Florida State and ULM are also scheduled to play in 2019.